PS4 Adding Backwards Compatibility With a Handful of PS2 Titles

We are now in the eighth generation of home video game consoles and "retro" gaming no longer exclusively refers to Joust and Pac-Man. There are seven previous generations of games to choose from, and while it's entirely possible to own a multitude of previous-gen systems, it's also nice when backwards compatibility allows one to play older games on a newer console.

The Xbox One just recently added backwards compatibility for Xbox 360 games and now Sony is following suit by offering a batch of PS2 games for download through the PlayStation Network. The biggest difference (and disappointment) is that if you owned these games in the past, you'll have to buy them all over again, but at a much reduced price.

The first wave of games hits tomorrow, December 5th, and includes: Dark Cloud, Grand Theft Auto III, Grand Theft Auto: Vice City, Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, Rogue Galaxy, The Mark of Kri, Twisted Metal: Black, and War of the Monsters. Most cost $15 while a few cost only $10. The games have been upscaled to 1080p and they support Trophies, Live Broadcast, Remote Play, and second-screen sharing.

More games are on the way, like Parappa the Rapper 2 and King of Fighters 2000, but that's a mighty fine bunch to start with. It's a bummer that you'll have to buy the games again even if you bought them through PSN for your PlayStation 3, especially when Microsoft is allowing gamers to download old games they previously bought for free, but at least they're here.

I don't know if I'm more excited to check out the games that I missed, like Dark Cloud and Twisted Metal: Black, or to revisit the games that I loved, like the Grand Theft Auto series. Either way, going two generations back is going to be an adjustment.

About The Author

Dylan Duarte is a freelance writer who's covered film, television, videogames, and of course tech! He's also an aspiring screenwriter and likes that watching movies is considered "work" because of it. You can follow him on twitter @dylanduarte, but be warned that it's mostly the nonsensical ramblings of a potty-mouth.